Sandy Springs woman seeks to help family in storm-ravaged Dominica

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. - A woman in Sandy Springs is trying to find a way to help her family and home country of the Caribbean island, Dominica, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

The storm made landfall on the island Monday, killing at least 15 people and damaging 98 percent of buildings, according to officials.

Arthlene Lawrence spoke with FOX 5's Marissa Mitchell over the weekend about the storm and its impact on her relatives. Lawrence said many of them remain in a shelter at a police station because of all the damage and outages. They also fear much of what they owned is gone.

"This terrible," Lawrence said.  "My heart just breaks and it's even hard to think sometimes knowing your family is going through this kind of devastation."

Lawrence said, to her knowledge, all her family members survived the natural disaster. But she admits it will be a tough road ahead for many there who are still reeling from Hurricane Irma.

"Everytime you get a little bit of news, it's hurtful," she stressed.

But she is planning a fundraising event in Atlanta for next month to aid in recovery efforts.

For more details: www.restoretoempower.org